Inside Iowa State for faculty and staff
June 18, 2020
Inside news
Senior leaders provide a first glimpse at fall instruction in a June 12 town hall and June 17 employee memo.

Iowa State will establish a formal way to reconsider its facility names and memorials that honor historical figures and, once a policy is adopted, will review all campus naming decisions for potential concerns.

To date, campus units have requested nearly 17,000 cloth face masks for returning employees through a special COVID-19 site at central stores. Employees and units don't pay for them.

A second set of aids will guide manager-employee discussion (as early as next week) on job titles in the new classification/compensation system -- and whether it's the right fit for the work done.

The offices for responsible research and research integrity will merge their functions and staffs in the new office of research ethics on July 1.
Announcements
The following announcements were added this week:
  • Nominations due Aug. 1 for two alumni association awards
  • Preorder ISU calendars in time for the academic year
  • Visitation for faculty member Wally Huffman is June 18
  • Building openings will be phased over summer
  • Volunteers sought for College Creek cleanup June 27
Around campus
The updates apply to employees traveling in personal and ISU vehicles for university business, including van pools and car pools.

ISU chemists are developing a paper-strip urine test to detect infection by the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. It's a little like a more complicated home pregnancy test, said assistant professor of chemistry Robbyn Anand, leader of the project.

Iowa State engineers are doing wind-tunnel tests and computer simulations to understand and predict how the cables that carry power or support bridges react to high winds. The goal is to prevent them from dangerously whirling in the wind, causing cables or structures to catastrophically fail.
Appointments
  • Brian Meyer, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences communications, to associate director for strategic communications in the office of strategic relations and communications, effective June 23
  • Jennifer Vit, ISU conference management and planning, ISU Extension and Outreach, to executive director for the Iowa Extension Council Association, based in Duncombe, effective July 1 
  • Sarah Merrifield, Charles City Foster Grandparent Program, to director of ISU Extension and Outreach region 3 (Kossuth, Winnebago, Hancock and Wright counties), effective July 6
Retirements
This week
  • Sylvia Anderson, agricultural and biosystems engineering, June 19

Upcoming
  • Pat Strah, operations and finance division, June 29 (3-4 p.m., email Lauren Schalinske for virtual celebration link)
  • Mona Wilson, building security services, facilities planning and management, July 1
Professional development
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) programming
Previous Inside coverage
About us
Inside Update is published Thursday mornings by Strategic Relations and Communications. Questions may be directed to 515-294-7065.